Germany has never been the classic country for researching labor conflicts and least of all for researching strike action by quantitative methods. Thus, only a few studies on the subject have been published. The time that has been best studied in the context of economic cycles and labor conflicts is the period before 1914. The findings fit well into the international context, for they confirm the impressive dependence of strike frequencies on economic cycles. A closer look, however, shows some problems in interpreting the results. These problems have to do with the choice of comparative indicators.

First of all, with regard to strike indicators, the fact that they oscillate between greater extremes than the series of economic cycle indicators is of importance. Thus, it is not a comparison of absolute figures that is required but one of the relative decline and increase, that is, a study of their relative changes.

Further, it is significant that positive results only arise if the number of strikes (and lockouts) is compared with economic cycle indicators, rather than the number of people involved. Therefore, Perrot's observation on France applies here: The economic cycle is the strongest influence on the decision to take strike action but all other questions, such as the form of participation, organization, duration, regional and branch involvement, depend on national or other factors. This statement becomes even more important because it is apparently valid regardless of trade union influence on a strike. Also, it applies especially to those times that were still characterized by very weak union movements (France and Germany before 1885).